


Better Off

by drkkn



Category: Road to El Dorado (2000)
Genre: M/M, Migulio
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-27
Updated: 2014-05-27
Packaged: 2018-01-26 16:49:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1695473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drkkn/pseuds/drkkn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Tulio decides that it's better for everyone if he left El Dorado, Miguel sets out to try and stop that stupid twat from doing something that may separate the two con-men forever. Tulio/Miguel slash to come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to The Road to El Dorado or any of it's characters.
> 
> I apologize about the mediocre writing; this is my first serious fic and Im not that good yet.

Tulio lay in bed, with Chel cuddling his arm as she slept. Tulio, however wasn't sleeping, and hadn't for several days now. He would just think all night long; think about his life, his screw-ups and quite often, he'd think about Miguel. He began to think about how he brought this life upon him; how his friend deserved so much better, but for his own selfish reasons, he dragged him along anyway. He hated himself for it, and he hated himself for not realizing what he was doing before now. After they destroyed the entrance to El Dorado, they found another way in, through a thicker part of the jungle, to the back of the city. They had to camp out for several days without food or drink until they found the right way in. That's when it dawned on him that Miguel didn't choose to live this way. Tulio didn't know why it was at that moment, but since that day, which was weeks ago, he had felt worse and worse about everything his partner had been through and everything he had done to him.

He was trying to hide the fact he felt like crying all the time, but with the combined effects of eating very little and sleep deprivation, people were beginning to ask if he was sick. He would even catch Miguel looking at him with a worried expression every once in a while, which would only make things worse and result in more guilt. He couldn't do this to him anymore. He just wanted Miguel to choose a life for himself, instead of being forced to live a life on the run. And what was his reward for his loyalty? Being bullied and yelled at by the one person he's supposed to be able to trust unconditionally. Tulio thought of how it was a miracle his friend had decided to continue traveling with him when he treated him so horribly. His heart ached when he thought of all the times Miguel had treated him so lovingly, only for the favor to be returned with yelling and arguing. Tulio felt hot tears trickle down the side of his face as he realized what he had to do.

The raven-haired Spaniard wiggled his arm out of Chel's grasp, careful not to wake her. He got up and looked down at Chel and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She had once been the woman he longed to be with. Now, however, he longed for someone else. He craved his smile and optimism. He wanted to hear him play a beautiful melody on his lute. He needed to feel him by his side and to know that he was always there if he needed him. But he couldn't have any of that, and he didn't expect it. Not now, not after everything he put him through.

Tulio quietly went to the front of the temple where Miguel slept. He found his partner stretched out in a very unnatural position to sleep in and with all the blankets kicked off to the side. Tulio moved over to the tangled sheets, opened them up and spread them over Miguel. He smiled sadly at the blond, remembering the times he would wake up to find Miguel had clung to himself in his sleep. For a moment, Tulio entertained the idea of climbing into bed with his friend, but he knew he needed to leave. For Miguel's own good.

Tulio came across an old piece of paper and charcoal to write with as he was packing some food and water. He decided it wouldn't hurt to write them a note, at least to let them know that he was okay. He wrote Chel's pretty quickly, but it took him much longer to find the right words for Miguel. After he finished with the notes, he folded them up and stuck them between two rocks in the temple wall. He only hoped he could somehow guarantee they'd find them.

Right as he took the first step of many down the temple, Tulio stopped to fight the urge to look back at his sleeping partner. He knew it'd only make things harder...but he wanted one final thing to remember Miguel by. One final memory of his friend, one where he wasn't screaming his throat sore at him. Tulio's heart won the battle against his head, and let the latter turn to look Miguel for one last time. What Tulio didn't expect, however, was how the longer he stared longingly, the harder it was to look away. He never quite noticed how peaceful the blonde man looked when he slept. What other things about his best friend of 20 years had he failed to acknowledge? Tulio's eyes started to sting and more hot tears forced their way out of his heavy, blue eyes. Although he knew that he needed to do this, for Miguel, it didn't make it any easier on Tulio's heart. Salty, wet, droplets streamed down his face as he walked away, and he hoped that, for once in his life, he was doing something right.

 

* * *

 

Miguel woke up to the surprising loud, and somewhat annoying sound of birds chirping in the jungle surrounding the city. He moaned as he turned over onto his stomach, trying to go back to sleep. The sounds were making sleep seem impossible, so he pulled his pillow over his head to cover his ears. After several minutes, Miguel decided that he wasn't going to get anymore sleep. He slowly sat up and looked around the beautiful temple.

Nobody but himself seemed to be there, which would normally be unusual, but lately he noticed Tulio hadn't been sleeping very well, if at all. But even so, Chel should still be asleep, seeing that it was still early in the morning. Miguel stood up slowly and walked over to where his partner and Chel sleep at the other side of the temple to investigate the absence of the couple. Miguel stared at the empty sheets and blankets on the temple floor and thought that maybe they just got up particularly early this morning for some reason. Maybe they were getting a little…er…intimate and needed privacy. He was used to this behavior, but it still hurt. He was happy for his partner, but he missed the mornings he woke up and found that he had wrapped his arms around Tulio's chest in his sleep. He missed being stuck to the brunette like glue, and doing everything together. He missed…well, he missed Tulio.

Just before he was going to leave to get some breakfast, Miguel's eyes fell onto a note placed carefully between two rocks in the wall above his partner's bed. Miguel, eyes lit up with curiosity, ran towards it with a surprising amount of energy for had just waking up. He opened it up quickly and recognized the handwriting immediately, but he noticed that it looked messy, as if it was rushed. Tulio's handwriting is normally very neat and written with a touch of cursive here and there, but this time, there were an unusual amount of mistakes he scratched out, and it was all in print. Miguel rolled his eyes, thinking his ex-partner was probably wasn't going to write a note at all, but wrote it last minute so Miguel wouldn't come looking for him and...interrupt him and Chel. His heart sunk a little at this thought, but he forced himself to push the hurt feelings away, thinking that he should know he's been replaced by now.

But when Miguel read what the note had to say, his attitude changed entirely. It read:

Miguel,

You deserve better than this life I dragged you into.

Live the life you wanted to lead before I came along.

I once said that you made my life an adventure, and I meant it.

But now I'm asking you to explore the adventure of a new beginning.

Please, Miguel.

For me.

~Tulio

Miguel's mouth fell open wider with every line, and by the end of the note, he became so dizzy, he had to sit down to prevent from falling backwards. Tulio, the man he had assumed would always be there, was gone. Miguel felt a sudden, hot rage bubble up from his stomach and fill his body. None of this added up; Did that idiot use his head at all? Why the hell did he think that he wanted and deserved a life that didn't include his partner? They've always been there for each other, ever since they were small children, and now he felt a nagging fear in the back of his head that he might never see Tulio again. Miguel quickly tried to rid his mind of these thoughts with a shake of his head. He was going to find Tulio.. no.. he  _needed_  to find Tulio..

The familiar feeling of being alone and afraid came rushing back to Miguel; Feelings he felt before Tulio came along and turned his life around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short...


	2. Chapter 2

It was like any given day in the childhood of Miguel Santos: his father ordering him to do labor fit for a grown man, and his malnourished, nervous-looking mother watching quietly, too afraid of being beaten to speak up. Mr. Santos, a brute of a man, getting so drunk he would start throwing punches at his own family. This time, it was Miguel stumbling and dropping his father's second mug of beer of the night that earned him a slap across the cheek. Little Miguel didn't even flinch when his father's hand made contact with his face, which was already bruised for cursing under his breath while mopping the floor the day before. Miguel looked hopelessly over at his mother, silently begging to be saved, and saw, through the tears forming in his eyes, her look guiltily to the floor. The woman gave him a look that said 'sorry' before scurrying out of the room and into the kitchen just as her husband took another swing at her only child.

But Miguel was tired with the daily beatings. He was tired of the constant abuse and insults thrown at him. And he was tired of his hope being shattered that maybe today will be the day mommy will love him enough to end this hell. He was done with accepting the abuse that he believed he had deserved for so long.

Miguel caught his father's arm and, using his drunken state to his advantage, twisted it. He then kicked his father in between the legs, which immobilized him long enough to give Miguel time to run out the door, forever. As he held the door open to leave, he looked back at his mother. She was half-hidden behind a wall, eyes wide with shock and fear. Miguel may have felt a small bit of remorse for leaving her, but he reminded himself of all the times he had begged for a rescue, and the remorse was replaced with disappointment and anger. Still, nobody should have to endure what he had to.

"This could be your last chance. Run and don't look back." Miguel said to her stiffly before turning his back and walking out into the cold night.

And that was it. He never saw his parents again after that fateful night, and he never looked back. But that didn't mean he wasn't afraid the first night on his own, not knowing where his life was headed. He would spend the next few days scavenging for food that people had thrown away, and when the chilling, dark nights came, he would spend them trying to get sleep that he knew would never come.

On one of these nights, it was pouring down buckets of rain. Miguel was sitting in puddles of cold mud under a wooden bridge. His golden hair and raggedy clothes were filthy and soaked. He had lost a considerable amount of weight over the past couple of days, despite not having much weight to lose in the first place. There were dark grey and purple circles under his blood-shot and tired eyes, and his skin was so incredibly pale, he looked as though he could pass out at any minute. Still, he thought, at least he wasn't being treated like a punching bag every night.

Right when Miguel was going to try and find a drier place to sleep, another young boy, dove under the bridge with him. He looked slightly older than himself, but around the same age. His handsome raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail that wouldn't have worked on most people, but it surprisingly sly and charming on him. The mystery boy's light blue eyes danced with adrenaline and adventure as he pushed himself against the side of the arch, as if he was hiding from someone. Sure enough, a couple of seconds later, heavy footsteps and deep voices could be heard from on top of their hiding place. Miguel, unsure of who the boy was or who he was running from, opened his mouth to say something to the stranger. However, before Miguel could say anything, the mystery boy quickly covered his mouth. As his pursuers' footsteps were heard leaving in the direction they came in, the boy's face shone with the satisfaction of avoiding capture. Letting go of Miguel's mouth, the brunette slumped into a sitting position across from the blond. Miguel was eyeing him fearfully, and didn't dare to say anything to him, now that any help he could possibly need has gone. After catching his breath, the dark-haired boy let out a relieved sigh and took in Miguel's appearance.

"On the run too, then, huh?" Miguel's surprise must've shone on his face, because the boy had started laughing. "I've been around long enough to know the look. The name's Tulio." he said, thrusting his hand out for Miguel to shake. Miguel didn't return the favor right away, but after giving him a skeptical look, he shrugged and took Tulio's hand.

"I'm Miguel." Tulio beamed and Miguel couldn't help but give a little smile as well.

"I bet you haven't eaten or slept for days. C'mon, I know a place where you can stay and rest for a bit. It's not greatest inn in Spain, but it's got food, a bed, and a roof." Tulio said, leading Miguel out from under the bridge. He took the dark-haired boy's hand and they raced through the streets together, trying to avoid the rain as much as possible. After a couple of minutes, Tulio lead him to a dark, damp, and deserted alleyway. Miguel could barely make out a small wooden sign above a wooden door that read 'Rose's Tavern & Inn'. Tulio stopped in front of the door and was smiling up at the sign. Miguel looked over at his new friend, and he wasn't afraid anymore. Somehow he knew he wasn't going to be alone again for a very long time.

 

* * *

 

Miguel quickly shoved the note into his pocket and sprinted down the temple steps. His heart was racing, and his mind was not far behind. Maybe he could find a witness to Tulio's departure and get some leads to where he was headed? As he ran through the golden city's streets, he looked for anyone who could possibly have caught a glimpse of his ex-partner. Most of the citizens around him were rushing from place to place, trying to complete their daily errands, and Miguel doubted any of them had seen Tulio leave hours ago. He hurried along, and eventually came across Chief Tannabok, sitting with his many children. Had he not been in such a panicked rush, he might've noticed the beautiful woman talking to the Chief.

"Chief Tanni! Chief Tanni!" Miguel called as he ran over to the large man. "Chief.. Tulio... T-tulio is..." Miguel tried to get the words out, but he was too out of breath to finish the sentence. However, to Miguel's surprise, he didn't need to finish it.

"Missing?" The larger man suggested, but not in his usual upbeat tone. His voice sounded concerned and slightly saddened. Miguel, his chest still rising and falling heavily, turned sharply to the chief with a confused look. "Were you going to say 'Tulio's missing?'"

"Er...yeah. H-how did you know?" Miguel questioned breathlessly. The Chief, looking a bit worried himself, gestured to the woman he was talking to before Miguel interrupted. There stood Chel, with an irritated expression, but there was something off about it. Chel didn't give off the usual annoyed attitude; it seemed like more of an act to cover up something else that was upsetting her. Miguel thought for a moment he saw a couple of tears caught in the native woman's dark, almond-shaped eyes, but the blonde's mind quickly jumped to other places before he could get a good look: If Tulio hadn't brought Chel with him…well that's never happened before. Sometimes Tulio would leave for a couple of days with a woman, but he never left a note, and he always came back.

"Do you know where he went? Did he say anything to either of you before he left? Hell, have either of you seen him since last night?" Miguel asked frantically, wanting answers so desperately. The chief looked down to the brick road beneath his feet and shook his head quickly. Chel let out a short, annoyed breath and turned her back on him. Miguel could see right through Chief Tanni's response, and Chel obviously wasn't trying to hide the fact that she knew something. Miguel also sensed that she wouldn't be telling him anything for awhile, so he tried to get it out of the chief instead. "Please Chief… you and I both know this is going to cause more problems than fix…" The chief lifted his head at these words and looked Miguel in the eyes. He was silent for a moment, but then gave in.

"Lord Tulio came to me this morning." he admitted. Miguel's heart instantly lifted at these words, and his mind began racing yet again: Maybe he'll be able to find Tulio before he can do anything stupid. Miguel's hurried thinking was quickly interrupted when the chief continued to explain Tulio's disappearance. "He made me swear not to breathe a word of this to you or Chel, but…I don't believe he completely understood the effect his leaving would have on you." Chief Tanni gave a small, knowing smile to Miguel, and he suddenly became aware that perhaps he wasn't the only one who knew of his developing feelings for Tulio. He had tried to keep those thoughts to himself, but it was becoming increasingly harder, and, apparently, increasingly obvious. Miguel reddened a bit and the chief chuckled. Chel, who had been quietly listening the whole time, apart from the occasional, annoyed sigh, looked over her shoulder at the Spaniard and scoffed loudly at his red face. Miguel cleared his throat nervously and stammered slightly as he responded.

"O-oh uh…yes.. R-right well um…Did he say anything about where he was going?" Miguel asked, getting back to the bigger problem at hand.

"Yes, I remember him mentioning that he was going to head back to Spain. He also asked for extra food and water, so I'm assuming he is going to be at sea for awhile." answered the chief. With this, Miguel felt a sudden shot of adrenaline pump through his body. Tulio was heading for the boat they arrived in, and it would only take a couple of days to get there.

"Thank you Chief. I should get going, I need to catch up to him. I should be back in a little over a week, and hopefully with a certain Lord by my side…" Miguel gave the large, native man a hug and turned to run and grab some previsions before he took off. Just as he was walking toward the Temple, Chel let out an obviously fake and irritable cough. Miguel stopped and turned to tell Chel that if she had an issue with him going to find Tulio than she can piss off because nothing she has to offer can stop him. But she cut him off before he had a chance to voice his thoughts.

"I'm coming with you." She said with her arms crossed across her chest. It wasn't an offer or a plea; it was a fact. Just as nothing she could do could stop Miguel, nothing Miguel could do could stop her. Miguel sighed at this realization, and decided it'd be easier just to give in earlier than later. This, however, did not make the decision any more pleasurable for Miguel, no matter how incredibly attractive the woman was.

Miguel ran as fast as he was physically capable up the Temple steps to grab food and supplies, and Chel made a stop at the city's water well. They met up a couple of minutes later, and together they climbed into a longboat and set off for the jungle that lie just outside the golden city.

 

* * *

 

Tulio seemed to know most of the staff and many of the customers inside the inn. Miguel, a bit more intimidated by the customers than Tulio was, hid behind his new friend and looked over his shoulder as he talked to them. Many of the men were rather large and muscular, and he couldn't help being reminded of his father. To contrast, there were also a couple of very pretty barmaids and waitresses that would smile warmly at the two boys.

Miguel and Tulio made their way up to the back of the inn, and Tulio paid for a room with several gold coins from his pocket. It wasn't expansive to stay, but it still used all the money he had earned that day. He didn't mind though, at least he wasn't out in the rain for too long like Miguel was.

The two headed up the stairs to where the rooms were. Theirs was the smallest one they had to offer, with one bed, a small wooden nightstand, and a wooden chair in the corner. It wasn't much, but to Miguel, it meant the world. Even so, he felt horribly for not having any money to help pay for the room, but he didn't have many other options. His family was never wealthy, and any money they did get went into beer for his father and the minimum amount of food needed for his and his mother's survival. Still, Miguel felt he needed to give Tulio something to make up for it, so he gave him the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around Tulio and rested his head on his shoulder.

"Tulio, I'm sorry I have no money to help pay for this room but thank you for everything. You're the nicest person I've ever met." Miguel said truthfully, his arms still wrapped tightly around the other boy. Tulio was taken by surprise with Miguel's eccentric thank you. He hadn't been hugged in years, if at all, but he secretly admitted to himself how much he liked it.

"Uh…er…well you must've not have met many people then." He replied with a smile. Miguel let go just in time to see the small grin, and he was glad he did so. The two boys stood looking at each other, awkwardly trying to think of something to say. It was Tulio that broke the silence. "Um.. we should probably get cleaned up.." he said, glancing down at his and Miguel's still muddy clothes.

"O-oh! Yeah of course.." Miguel dashed out of the room, and reappeared a couple of minutes later in the open doorway with a bucket full of water and two rags. Tulio watched him set down the bucket, dip a rag in the water, and hold it out to him. He was slightly baffled at how badly Miguel wanted to make up for paying a couple of coins for a shitty room in a tavern, but he smiled gratefully and took the damp cloth anyway. He began to clean the dried mud on his face, hair, and clothes. Miguel followed in suit, and in just a few minutes, the boys were clean enough to really see what each other looked like.

Miguel knew Tulio was handsome before, but he couldn't stop his heart from skipping a beat when he first looked up at him. His hair was a bit messy from rinsing it, and the small scars and bruises on his face became more noticeable after the wash. He had the rugged, edgy look mastered: from the way he stood to his rare, crooked smile.

Miguel had been the dirtier of the pair, and it was difficult for Tulio to make out any details about him before. But now, he was as equally as stunned by Miguel's looks, as Miguel was of his. His golden hair framed his face almost perfectly, save several pieces he would adjust to fall in precise areas to hide the bruises provided by his father. His clothes were slightly over-sized, but Tulio secretly liked how sometimes his sleeves would fall over his hands, and how he had to constantly pull his shirt back over his shoulders.

Eventually, the two boys realized they were staring at each other, eagerly taking in each other's appearances. They broke the suddenly uncomfortable eye-contact simultaneously, and Tulio quickly tried to think of something to say to try and distract their minds from the awkward moment that had just taken place.

"U-um..If you want we can go downstairs and I can introduce you to some of the people there. They look really tough, but they aren't anyone to be afraid of. They have a lot of great stories to te-" and before Tulio could finish talking, Miguel, for the first time in years, broke into a very charming and large smile. Tulio was surprised at how something so simple could brighten up a room to this extent, and make one feel so needed and important. Miguel took his friend's hand and excitedly lead him out of the room. Tulio had no choice but to follow closely behind, but he didn't mind; for reasons he didn't quite understand yet, he absolutely and completely trusted this strange boy with everything he had.

\--

Update: *cough* So.. believe it or not, I still exist. And I still love Tulio and Miguel. Would you all be interested in me continuing this fic, or should I just slap a 'discontinued' label on it and be done with it? Let me know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters always look so much longer in word :S But I quite liked writing this one. I pictured kid Tulio and Miguel around 12 or 13, and their descriptions were partly inspired by some lovely fanart on Deviantart by Jonas-Winchester.
> 
> This chapter was actually supposed to be in 2 different parts, but AO3 was giving me problems, so here's one mega chapter:)


End file.
